Tension control device for a winding apparatus



y 2, .1940. :H. E. VAN DERHOEF Q 2,206,140

TENSION CONTROL DEVICE FOR A WINE-ENG APPARATUS Filed Nov. 19, 19? 2 Sheets-Sheet l f/enryf Verifier/reef INVEN TOR BY W ATTORNEYS Patented July 2, 1940 l UNITED STATES.

PATENT OFFICE,

N. Yr, a-corporation of New Jersey Application-November 19, 1937, Serial No. 175,492

11 Claims. (or 242-45) The present invention relates to a winding apparatus, and more'particularly to an arrange-; ment for controlling and varying the tension of a strip as it is being WOllIldilltO aroll. While mechanism for winding a strip of film base, it is apparent that such a mechanism is adapted ,to'a

wide variety of uses. The term film is, therefore,intended to be used in its generic sense to 'include all materials arrangedin the form of a continuous web or strip.

One object of the invention is the provision of" a mechanism for automatically controllingthe w, tension of a film strip as it isbeing wound into a roll.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an arrangement wherebythis tension may be gradually and uniformly varied as the. roll increases in size, thus assuring'a tightly wound roll. 3

A further object of the invention .is the provision in a tension device, of anarrangement readily and easily varied. A still further object of the invention is the provision in a tensioningydevice of the class described, of an arrangement for" automatically compensating for any slight momentary variation in the tension of the strip; Still another object of theinvention is y the provision of a tensioncontrol device which may be readily applied to existing machines.

A still further object ofthe invention is the provision of such a tensioning device which is whereby the rate of change of tensionniaybe 3 positive in its action, adjustable,simple in con'- struction, relatively inexpensive tomanufacture,

and highly ,efiective in use. i

Another object of'the invention is theprovisioni of a tensioncontroldevice which may beadjusted to automatically maintain auniforrn tension on. the film strip as the latteris being woundinto a.

roll. 3 l

Yet another object of the invention is (the provision of a mechanism ,for gradually increasing the torque applied to the take-uproll' in proportion to the lineal speedof the film strip through,

the machine.

To these and other ends, the invention residesf incertain improvements and combinations of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fullyde i scribed, the novel features being pointedout in the claims at the end ofnthe specification.

In, the drawings: i

Fig. its a side elevation .view of alportion of a machine for forming and winding a film base l or *the present embodiment primarily relates to a bodiment of theinvention; taken substantially;

the takeup roller. thencoated with the'proper emulsion to form the support, with the side plate removed,showing the relation thereto qOf a;tension device constructed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is'a diagrammatic View of a-portionof' the structure illustrated in Fig. 1, showingth'e arrangement for controlling the torque applied to the takeup roller shaft; g Fig. 3 is a planview of a tension device constructed in accordance with the preferred emon lines 3-3-of Fig. 1, showing thearrangement for operating the device;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portionof the appa ratus illustrated in Fig. 3, but on alarger scale and with parts in section, showingthe 'arrangement for adjusting the throwof the pawl by which the rateof change in tension of the film strip may be variedj and arrangement of the mechanism for controlling the tension of thefilmstrip as it is being Wound ontothe takeup roll; it

Fig: 6 is a horizontal sectional 'ew, through the friction clutch members, and taken substantially on the lineG-fi of Fig. 2,,showing the arrangement of the-clutch parts. l

Similar reference numerals throughout the' various views indicate thesame parts; i

In the manufacture of photographic film', a 30 suitable dope is applied to a coating-wheel; and, when sufiicient solventshave been removed, the dope is stripped oifth'e wheel in thefornr of a continuous web or'strip. This strip isthen. wound over suitable rollers in the drying or curing sec- 35 tion of the machine to remove the remaining solvents. The cured strip is then wound onto a takeup roll, and forms what is known tothe art as film base or support. During the passage of the strip through the machinathe marginaljedges of the'strip are slit off so that only the intermedi ate portion of the stripis wound into the rol1='on The film-base or support is desired type'of photographic film. 5

Various methods of winding the film support have-been used, and these methods have not been found"exactly satisfactory. In one method, the first200'or'300 feetof support -werewound on the core at a-rather1 high tension, the tension being eased oiftlas the sizetof thef roll increased,

thus beforethe rolll is completed several: different tensions'wereused In another'method, the ten sin'n is adjusted at. therstart ofthe winding opera.- tion, and. this: :tension is maintained throughout 4 changes in tension at the proper time, so that the desired results will not be secured. In the second method, on the other hand, there is not enough initial tension to form a good base on which to build the roll, so that the end of the roll is likely to be too slack due to the fact that the tension is not changed while the roll is bein built up.

In order to overcome these diiflcultieathe present invention provides a mechanism whereby the tension will be automatically and positively controlled from start to finish of the. winding operation. The tension of the strip is preferably held substantially constant and uniform as the roll of film base is wound up, thus insuring a tightly wound roll which may be more readily and satisfactorilycoated with the proper photographic emulsion. The tension of the strip is maintained by means of a spring actuated roller positioned in a loop of the film base being wound on the take-up roller. In winding certain strip materials, however, it may be desirable or ad- 352 vantageous to gradually decrease or increase the the. marginal edges of the film strip.

transmitted to the gear 22. prises, inthe present embodiment, a sleeve l9,

strip tension'as the material is wound up. The mechanism of the present invention may be easily, quickly, and effectively adjusted to provide for such varying tension, as will be later more fully described.

Fig. 1 shows a portion of a machine for making film base orsupport in the form of a continuous web or strip. The cured strip F is led between a pair of slitting rollers I] which slit or trim off This trimmed support is then led, in a sinuous path, over a plurality of driven tension rolls 12 to the spaced idlerrollers l3 and 14 between which a loop 15 of the strip is formed. A floating roller,

" generally indicated by the numeral 16 and here inafter more fully described, is arranged in the loop l5,,and is horizontally movable to respond to momentary variation in the tension of the strip. The strip passes from the lower idler roller Hi to a takeup roller 11 mounted for rotation on the takeup shaft 88. It is the usual practice, to provide two takeup rollers l1 and H which are mounted on a frame, not shown, pivotally mounted about the axis of the gear 20 sothat when one roll G1 has been wound to the proper size, the, strip may be cut and the full roll removed. The empty roll 11 is then swung into position to have a strip wound thereon.

Theshaft I8 has mounted thereon a spur gear, I 2! which meshes with a spur gear 22 on the shaft vThelatter also carries a variable-friction plate drive, generally indicated by the numeral 24, by which varying amounts of torque may be This device comseeFig; 6, loosely mounted on the shaft 23 and carrying a gear 20 which is suitably connected to the driving means for the apparatus. By means of this arrangement, the sleeve i9 is continuously andpositively drivenat a uniform speed. The

to the friction plate lSb.

- engage the roller I1, as is apparent from an in-' spection of Fig. 6.

It will be readily understood from Fig. 6 that the torque transmitted from the constantly driven sleeve I9 to' the loosely mounted gear 22 is directly proportional to the axial pressure applied In other words, the greater the applied pressure the greater the torque transmitted, and vice versa. This variation in pressure is controlled, in the present em-' bodiment, by means of a Sylphon diaphragm 25 mounted on the end of the shaft 23 and operatively connected to the friction plate I91), as best ,shown in Fig. 6. This diaphragm is connected by a liquid line 26 to a similar diaphragm 21 mounted on a support 28 concentric with the axis 29, as shown in Fig. ,2. It will be apparent from this figure, that if an increased pressure is applied to the diaphragm 21, the liquid, such as oil, will transmit this pressure to the diaphragm 2'5 and its connected friction plate l9b to increase the pressure of the latter on the gear 22 so as to transmit more torque thereto, and hence to the windup shaft 18. Conversely, if the pressure is reduced in the diaphragm 21, the pressure of the plate 191) on the gear 22 will be correspondingly reduced to cause a reduction of the torque furnished in the gear 22. The latter thus receives varying amounts of torque depending on the pressure or force applied to the friction plate 1911'. As the friction drive or clutch 24 is of standard construction and does not per se constitute a part of thepresent invention, a further discussion is not deemed necessary to a fullunderstanding of the present invention.

The pressure on the diaphragm 21 may bevaried by means of a bellcrank 3B which is pivoted at3l on a member 32 carried by the oil housing 33 of the diaphragm 21; One arm 34 of the bellcrank is arranged to engage the diaphragm 2'1 while the other arm '36 is pivoted at 31, to one end of a rod 38, the other end of which is pivoted at 39 to a lever 40 carried by a shaft 4| movably mounted on a bracket 42 carried by the machine frame, all of which is clearly illustrated inv Figs. 1 and 2. It will be apparent from inspection of Fig. 1, that if the shaft 4| is rotated or moved in a counter-clockwise direction, the rod 38 will be drawn to the left to pivot the bellcrank and to bring the arm 34 thereof into contact with the diaphragm 21, as shown in Fig. 2. Further rotation of the shaft 4| will cause the arm 34 to exert a. pressure on the diaphragm 21, which pressure will be transmitted to the diaphragm 25 to increase the torque transmitted by the friction drive member 24. Thus, the amount of torque transmitted to the gear 2|, connected to the takeup shaft l8, may be controlled by the movement of the shaft 4|.

However, in order to insure satisfactory operation, the torque delivered to and the speed of the transmitted to. the gear 22 on the other hand, is

egzoa uo proportional to thepres'sure applied to the Sylphon diaphragm- '25 and the friction v-plate 1|9b, as pointedout above. Due to this fact, there is always a slight slippage between the gear ZZ and its driving member, the portion Hat and the frictioni -plate i912. j i

It is apparent to those-in the art, that as the takeup roll I lincreasesin size, the amount of torque required to rotate the roll also increases. Aspointed out aboveQthis increasedtorque for rotation of the takeup shaft may be secured by gradually turning the shaft 4| in a counterj clockwise direction. To 'this end, the present invention provides an arrangement whereby this turning, or tendency to turn, of'the shaft 4| progresses gradually and in proper timed relation tothe winding of the strip on the takeup roller 11. In addition, thepresent invention further provides an adjustment by which. the rate of fincrease'of torque tothe takeup shaft may be variedrelative to the linealspeed of the strip frorrr-this equation thatif P (torque applied) is held constant and R (roll radius) is increased,

that T (strip tension) must correspondingly decrease to maintain the equation. 1 1

Now, for the purpose of illustration, consider a small increment of time in which? remains cons tantly rotated to wind up additional film, thus slightly increasing the roll diameter; the i constant. Duringthis interval'the roller l l is result of which is to also decrease the film tension,-as pointed out above. As the strip tension thus momentarily decreases, the loop- I 5 increases inlength and the floating roller I6 moves to the left, as viewed in Fig. 1, bymeans to be presently "described. The roller lfi is mounted on the free end of an arm l3 oftheshape best shown in Fig. l,-the other end of which is secured to theshaft il, so that as the roller is thus'moved shaft dl is rotated in-a counter-clockwise 'direction to "automatically apply more torque to the shaft 1 8 as above described. Thus any tendencyof the strip tension to decrease, automatically increases thetorqueapplied to the roll l"|. This'increase intorque to the winding shaft 1 8 compensates fortheincrease in diameter of thestrip on roller *H' and thus restoresthe film tension to its original value. In addition, each-increment of increase in the size of theroll l1 causes further movement of the roller 16 to apply still more torque to the shaft l8 so that such applied torque increases in proportion to the lineal speed of the stripthrough the machine. However, since-the stripFis being fed fromthemachine ata constant lineal "speed; the angular velocity of the takeup roller l1 must gradually decrease to; compensate for its increasing diameter as the suc cessive layers of film are-added, thus-maintaining a constant lineal windup-speed. As -this angular constant speed as mentioned above.

speed decreases, the slippage between the 'gear 22 and its driving members IBwand l 9b correspondingly increases, the sleeve i l 9 being. drivenilsat 1 a Thel roller I6 is :preferablyspring actuated. To this end, the shaft 'fll has mounted thereon a radially extending arm 4.6, the free endof :which is fastened to thevlower end of-a tension coil spring flythe upper end.ofwhich is secured'to a movable rod 48, the purpose of which connection will be later described. The spring 'd'l thus tends to rotate the shaft ll in a counterclockwise direction, and will automatically move the roller Hito the left, as viewedinFig. 1, upon any momentary decrease of strip tension. This movement of the roller It serves to increase the torque applied to the shaft l8 to reestablish thefilm tension to its former value, as pointed out above. It is apparent, however, that as the roller I6 moves to the left, the lower end of the spring 41 moves upwardly to thus shorten the spring and to correspondingly "decrease the tension thereof. However, inorder to maintain a coni 'stant film tension, as in the present example, the length of the spring 41 must be held uniform. Tosecure this result, the present invention pro- Vides means for automatically and intermittently moving the upper end of the spring 41 to compensate for the upward movement of the lower end thereof resulting from a leftward movement of the roller l6. By means of this arrangement,

spring dl may beheld unvarying in length to exert aconstant pull on the roller l 6 to maintain a uniform film tension. *However, a variable strip tension may be secured if desired, as later described. I

To secure such movement of spring 41, the upper end thereof issecu-red toa vertical movable rod or member, as shown inFig. 1. The lower portion'of the rod-'48, asshownin'Fig. 1, is slidable in a guide49 formedin'a supporting bracket -5lI-secured, in any suitable well-known manner;

to or formed integral with the machine frame.

the latter, as shown inFig. 5, the purpose of 5 whichconstructionwill be described in due course. i The sleeve54has a reduced lower end portion 59 which extends downward" through and is journaled in an. openingffifl formed in the bracket 50. The portion'59 terminates in a shoulder'Bl which extends over. and is supportedon the top 62 of:

the bracket rlil'l, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. Itisthus apparentthat if the sleeve 54 is rotated .in the bracket-5ll in -a clo'ckwise direction, as

moved-upwardly relativeto the sleeve 54, the

sleeve being stationary axially. This upward movement of the rod 48 will correspondingly move the upper end of the spring 41 tocompensate 'for the upward movementof the lower end thereof caused by the: leftward movement of the roller I6. Thus the length of thespringdl is held constant asithexroll [1 increases in size to maintain the film strip under uniform tension during the entire Winding operation. The tension of the filmstrip is thus determined by the tension maintained. in the spring l'l. "It is apparent,-however, that if the upper end ofthe spring 14'! were not moved, thez'spring .wouldgra'dually decrease in *length and the striptension would correspondingly decrease. I I g The sleeve 54. may be rotated by means of a ratchet 64 loosely mounted onthe sleeve 54, and connected thereto through a friction member or disk 65 positioned between the ratchet 64 and a collar66 formed on the. sleeve, as shown in Fig. 5. The ratchet 64 is resiliently maintained in driving engagement with the friction member 65 by means of a coil spring 61 which is wrapped around the sleeve 54, and is constrained between a ring 68 engaging the ratchet 64, and an internally threaded annular member 69. The tension of spring 61 may be readily and easily varied or adjusted by moving the member 69 along a corresponding threaded portion 18 of the sleeve 54 as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 5.

The ratchet 64 is moved by means of a pawl I2 which is carried by a radially extending arm 73 formed on a sleeve I4 loosely mounted on and surrounding the sleeve 54. The sleeve I4 is held in position between the collar 66 and the top 62 of the bracket 58, and is supported by the latter as clearly shown in Fig. 5. Upon movement of the sleeve I4 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 3, the detent I5 of the pawl 12 engages the peripheral teeth 16 of the ratchet 64 to rotate the latter and thus the sleeve 54. The detent I5 is held in engagement with the' teeth I6 by means of a spring 11 one end of which is secured to a post I8 on the pawl I2 while the other end is anchored to a post 'I8on the arm #3, as best shown in Fig. 5.

The sleeve 14 may be moved or rocked by means of a crank arm 88 one end of which is provided with a fork or bifurcated member 8!, secured to a post 82 carried by an arm 83 projecting radially from the sleeve I4 diametrically opposite the arm 13, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The opposite .end of the crank arm 88 is threaded into a block 84' loosely supported on a pin 85 eccentrically mounted, in a manner to be presently described, on the side of the sprocket 86. connected by means of j a chain 81 to a sprocket 88 mounted on a shaft 89 which supports one of the slitting rollers II. Power isapplied to either of the rollers II, and this power may be trans mitted to the other slitting roller II throughfa pair of spur gears 9.8 carried on the shafts 89, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. '1. Thus, the friction drive 24 is operatively connected with, and controlled in timed relationto the rotation of the slitting rollers II, or in other words, in timed relation with the lineal movement of the strip through the machine. In addition, the actual torque transmitted by the friction drive 24 is determined by the position of the spring-actuated floating roller I6. Therefore, the

torque transmitted by the friction drive 24 .to the shaft I8 will gradually increase as the takeup roller I! is wound up, and this torque increases in the proper timed relation to the movement of the strip through the machine.

Those familiar with the art will readilyappreciate the fact that the rate of application of torque to the shaft I8 will necessarily vary with the kind of strip being formed, as well as the 'up of the strip on the roller IT.

The latter is I a gradually decreasing strip tension.

As the pin '85;is moved radially on the sprocket 86 the eccentricity of the crank arm 88 will be varied to thus control the throw of the pawl I2 for each rotation of the sprocket 86. This change in the eccentricity of the crank arm 88 will thus move the member 48 at a greater rate relative to the lineal speed of 'the'strip through the machine. Thus, the rate of changein torque to the friction drive 24 will be varied relative to the winding To secure this change of eccentricity of the crank arm 88, the pin is secured to or formed integral with a nut 92 which is mounted for movement axially on the reduced threaded portion 93 of a manually adjusting member 94. 'It is apparent from an inspection of Fig. 4, that if member 94 is rotated, the nut 92 will move axially along the threaded portion 93'to thus move the pin 85 radially of the sprocket 86 to change the eccentricity of the crank arm 88. The member!" may be manually rotated'by means of a finger-piece 95 secured to or .formed integral with one end of the member 94. The latter is journaled in a pair of spaced bearings 96 which are secured by screws 91 to upper and lower connecting members 98 and 99 respectively, the latter being fastened by screws I88 to the face of the sprocket 86, as clearly illusher 94 is maintained against azn'al movement by means of a collar I8] and a shoulder I82, on the member 94, which engage the two spaced bearings 96. The collar I8I may be secured to'the reduced end portion I83 of the member 94 by means of a pin I84, all as clearly shown in Fig. 4.

It-is also apparent from the above description that to maintain aconstant film tension, the spring 41' must be held constant in length to provide a uniform pull on the roller I6. To secure this result, the eccentricity of therod 88 is adjusted so that the rod 48 will move the upper end of the'spring 4'! equally with the movement of thelower end thereof. However, such eccentricity may be adjusted so that the upper end of the spring 4'! moves in smaller increments than the lower end so that the spring will gradually shorten. Such shortening of the springi gradually decreases the tension thereon to provide Maximum decrease is secured when the pin 48 is adjusted in alignment with the axis of the sprocket 86, in which case nomovement of the rod 88 takes place. On the other hand, the eccentricity of the rod 88 maybe so adjusted that the upper end of the spring 41 moves a greater amount than the lower end to gradually stretch the spring and thus increase the tension thereof during the winding operation to secure a gradually increasing tension in the film strip as the latteris wound up on the roll I'I.

- When the roll I! reaches'the desired size, the strip F is cut, and the supporting frame, not shown, is rotated about the axis 28 to bring the empty roll II into position to receive the strip. In starting a new roll, the threaded member 48 must obviously be returned to its original position. To this end, the ratchet 64 is provided with a handle I86 by which the ratchet may be readily rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed inFig. 3, to move the member 48 downwardly to its initial position or to the initial setting of the spring .4'I.,;..T o limit this downward swoon-4o umovement, the upperlthreadedcxend r| U1; bf a [the imember' 48 1 is 1;provided u with iianradjustable ystop 1 I llB which is? adapted :to engageathe toputflfl of, the

:sleeve 54 when, theuzmember 48rreaches its initial iposition. V i I 1 Q'Iheroperationuof ithe above-described izdevice I may be briefiy summarizeda'as rfollo-ws iIihe "film strip, "after; being' formed zon'ithe lcoating' rwheels,

:uis ;threaded through Ltheqticuring: section oftit'he machine to remove the iremainingusolvent there- I from. The cured stripwisf thenlied lbetweenl'the wslitting rolls 1 H ptoa .trimrroff'ibotl'rrmarginal? edges rof ,thefilm. Theiitrimmed sheet orwstnipauis lthen mled .overnarplurality :ofvtension" rollers 1:2 r torthe xidler rollers: l3 and I4 between whichnaoloop 'lfa *ro'lli H which. isimounted forrotation on a'take-up I ushaftltl. The latter 'shaft isJconnectedbyfgears 21 band t? toaatidrive shaftffi's which carriesj a woo Pfriction' drivemember or clutch zl whi'ch isdriven many I suitable and well-knownmanner from the machine driving tmeans. The drivi-ng member for the clutch is "controlled by a '-sy1pnon 1 61a.-

y phragm $25 which is connected by an oll nne' zs,

to zatsimilar diaphragm 21. "The arrangement is suchthat any increase in the pressureonthe diaphragm 21 will automatically"increase the pressure on diaphragm fi, "thereby increasing the torque :applied to the winding shaft? l8.

' N ow asithe strip is. gradually wound up the 'roll 11,. the latter correspondingly"fincreases in :diameter. For each {slight increase indiaiheter there is a corresponding momentary decrease in the tension on thefilm strip; This decrease in y tension allows the floating roller lfito be moved to the left-under the action of the tension spring 41. Such movement of the rollerlB serves to I rotate the shaft 4| in a counter-clockwise direction, and, through the rod. 38'and the bell crank arms36 and 34, increases the pressure on the diaphragm 21. This increasedpressureis trans ,1 mitted to the diaphragm 25 with a corresponding increase in torque to the shaft 18 to return the film tension substantially toits normalf value.

Thus a constant film tension is preferably m.ain-

tained throughout the, entire windingoperation irrespective of the sizeflof the'windinggrollflll. In addition, the amount of torque applied to the winding shaft l8 is gradually increased as the roll increases in size. x 3 As the roller I6 is thus moved, the spring 41 tends to shorten. However, in order to maintain constant film tension, the lengthand hence the tension of the spring 41 mustlbe held uniform. Therefore, the rod 48 isprogressively moved upwardly to compensate for .the movement of the roller [6, so as .to maintain thespring-M at .a constant length to insure a constant strip tension. The tension of the spring ,4! thus controls the tension maintained onfthe film strip. Inrorder, however, thatsuch changes in the springmay be made in proportion to the length of the film being wound through the machine,

the movement of the rod48. is regulatedtbyja rotary sleeve 54. Sleeve 54 is,.in turn, rotated by aratchet 84 and apawl 12,.the latterbeing operatedibya crank .80 .eccentrically mounted: onwthe side of the sprocketrafi.

.By varying the eccentricity..arrrr. .B the sprocket 85, thenrate of change of torque \onnthe clutch 24 may be varied inrelationltonth elineal speed of the strip through the machine. This change of: eccentricityrmayi be secured by means of an adjustable member on which the arm 80 strip being wound.

said ratchet.

'is supported. The sprocket 1-86 is, connected to iandaidriven from one of the; slitting rollers ii lwby .vmeans of a chain 81.

rod 80 may be adjusted to continually "var'ythe The-"eccentricity. of the length of the springd'l and. thus :aiforda varying tension on the film strip, as thew-latter is being *wound up. i i

It is thus apparent that thewpresent invention provides an arrangement to automatic'allymaintain eithera constant or a varying tension on tha lO film stripnas" the latter is being wound into a roll.

Furthermore, the torque .applied to the itake-up shaft I is alsoxautomatically increased as thewroll increases in size,.this increase being in proportion to the lineal rrateof speed of the stripthrou'ghii the machine. In addition, thisrate: of increase intorque may be readily, easily, and quickly varied with thetype, thickness, and Width of the While one embodiment of the invention hastbeen disclosed it isto be understood that the inventive idea may be carried out in a number of ways. Thisapplicationjis,therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, butis intended tocover all variations and modifications1 thereof falling within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a film winding apparatus, the combina- I tion with a core on which a film stripis arranged to. be wound to form a roll, means for driving said core, variable means for connecting said core to said driving means, of a supporting roller positioned in a loop of said strip, a spring operatively connected to said roller and arranged td yieldably move the latter, means operated by 'movement of said roller for controlling said connecting means, and means operated by said driv- 1 ing means for adjusting saidspring to control the tension of said strip as the latter is wound u onto said core.

, 2. In a film winding apparatus, the combinaof said strip as it is wound onto said core, means including an adjustable member for operativelwifi connecting said ratchet to said driving means so as to be operated thereb-yfs'aid member being adjustable to control the ratepfchange of tension on said strip and'means for manually adjusting said member to control the movement Offli5 3. Inn film winding apparatus, the combination with a core on which a film strip is arranged to be wound to form a roll, means for driving said core, variable means for connecting saidwflo core to said driving means, of means responsive to variations in the tension on said strip for adjusting said connecting means, a threadedmemher, a resilient connection between said threaded member and said adjusting means,,means for operating said threaded member to continuously and automatically adjust the length of said resilient connection to regulate the tension on said :strip as it is being wound onto saidco'refand .means for. controlling said operating, means-in response to thelineal .movement of said. strip through said apparatus, I

.4. :In a. film: winding apparatus, the combina- .tionwith a core on..which.a film stripisarranged to be wound to form a roll, means for driving said core, variable means for connecting said connecting said member and said variable means,

core to said driving means, means for adjusting said connecting'means, of a rotatable threaded member, a resilient connections between said threaded member and said adjusting means, means for operating said threaded member to move said resilient connection and said adjusting means to change the tension on said strip as it is being wound onto said core, a roller engaging said strip, means operatively connecting said roller to said threaded member so as to cooperate with the latter to move said adjusting means to change the tension of said strip as it is being wound onto said core, and manual con- I.

said adjusting means, to change the tension on said strip as it is being wound onto said core, means for operatively connecting said pawl'and ratchet to said driving means and an auxiliary floating roller controlled by said stripandoperatively connected to said resilient connection and cooperating therewith to control said adjusting means.

6. In a film winding apparatus, the combination with a plurality of rollers for advancing said strip through said apparatus, a core on which said strip is wound to form a roll, meansfor driving said core, variable means for connecting said core to said driving means, of aninternally threaded rotatable sleeve, a support 'for said sleeve, a member engaging'said threaded sleeve and movable axially relative thereto, a spring a ratchet operatively connected to'said sleeve to rotate the latter to move said'member axially thereof to tension said spring so as to adjust said variable means to change the tension of said strip, a pawl for moving said ratchet,'an eccentric member, a crank connecting said eccentric to said pawl, manual means for adjusting said crank relative to said eccentric to vary the throw ofsaid pawl, and means for operativelyconnecting said eccentric to one of said rollers so as to be driven thereby. 1

7. In a film winding apparatuathecombination with a plurality ofrollers for advancing said strip through said apparatus, accrue on which said strip is wound to form" a roll, means for driving said core, variable means for con- -necting said core to said driving means; of an internally threaded rotatable sleeve, a support for said sleeve, a member engaging said threaded sleeve and movable axially relative thereto, a

coil spring interposed between and connecting said memberand said variable means, a ratchet,

friction means for operatively connectingsaid ratchet to said sleeve whereby the latter ,will be rotated upon movementof said ratchet to admoving said crank relative to said eccentric to vary the eccentricity of said crank, means for operatively connecting said eccentric to one of said rollers so as to be driven thereby, and means controlled by said strip and operatively connected to said spring and cooperating therewith for adjusting said variable means.

8. In a film winding apparatus, the combination with a plurality of rollers for advancing said strip through said apparatus, a core on which said strip is wound to form a roll, means for driving said core,'variable means forconne'cting said core to said driving means, of an internallythreaded rotatablesleeve, a support for said sleeve, a member engaging said threaded sleeve and movable axially relative thereto, a coil spring interposed between and connecting said member and said variable means, a ratchet, friction means for operatively connecting said ratchet to said sleeve whereby the latter is rotated upon movement of said ratchet to adjust said variable means to change the tension of said strip, a pawl for operating said ratchet, a pivoted arm on which said pawl is mounted, an eccentric mounted on said support, a crank movably mounted on said eccentric and connecting the latter to said arm, means for moving said crank relative to said eccentric to vary the eccentricity of said crank, means for operatively connecting said eccentric to one of said rollers so as to be driven thereby, a floating roller engaging said strip and movable thereby, and an arm operatively connecting said floating roller and said variable means for controlling the latter from said floating roller.

9. In a film winding apparatus, the combination with a core on which a film strip may be wound to form a roll, means for driving said core, of means responsive to tension variations in said means for adjusting said spring in proportion to the lineal speed of said strip through said apparatus to control the rate of change of tension of said strip.

10. In a film winding apparatus, the combination with a core on which a film strip may be wound to form a roll, means for driving said core, of means responsive to tension variations in said strip for adjusting said driving means, a variable spring operatively connected to said adjusting means, means forregulating said spring to control the tension of said strip,- and means for adjusting said last mentioned means to regulate the rate of change of the tension in said strip.

11. In a film winding apparatus, the combination with a core on which a film strip may be wound to form a roll, adjustable means for driving said core, of a floating roller arranged in a loop of said strip and movable in response to tension variations thereof to adjust said driving means to increase the torque transmitted to said core as said roll increases in size, an adjustable tension spring operatively connected to said roller, the tension of said spring determining the tension maintained in said strip, and means operated by said driving means and controlled by the lineal speed of said strip through said apparatus to maintain said spring at a constant length to afford a uniform strip tension during the entire winding operation.

HENRY E. VAN DERHOEF, 

